1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium cartridge which incorporates a magnetic recording medium, such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk, or an optical recording medium, such as a magneto-optical disc or an optical disc, and which is, for example, a magnetic tape cassette or a magnetic tape cartridge. That is, the present invention belongs to the technical field of a recording medium cartridge formed by accommodating a recording medium, e.g., a magnetic recording medium, such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk, or an optical recording medium in a cartridge case. More particularly, the present invention relates to a recording medium cartridge having, for example, a noncontact-type memory (IC memory) called a cartridge memory (CM), in which are recorded information (data) on the recording medium cartridge and information (data) on the contents of information (data) recorded on a recording medium accommodated in the recording medium cartridge, and which is, for example, set in or, preferably, attached to the cartridge in such a manner that information can be easily read from or written to the memory. The cartridge memory has an IC section (IC memory) for storing information and performing signal processing, and an antenna section for transmitting and receiving signals to transfer data.
The present invention also relates to a cartridge label for use in various cartridges incorporating various recording mediums, e.g., a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, and an optical recording medium and, more particularly, to a cartridge label having a noncontact-type memory (IC memory, cartridge memory (CM)) for recording information on the recording medium cartridge and information (data) on the contents of information (data) recorded on a recording medium accommodated in the recording medium cartridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
Compact lightweight magnetic tape cassettes and magnetic tape cartridges capable of recording digital signals at a high density are known. For example, a digital audio tape (DAT) is known as a magnetic tape cassette for recording an analog speech signal by converting the analog signal into a digital signal, e.g., a pulse-code-modulated (PCM) signal and/or for reproducing an analog signal. As small magnetic tape cassettes and magnetic tape cartridges for recording computer data, those specified in accordance with, for example, JISX6127 (1992), JISX6129 (1993), JISX6130 (1996) and JISX6141 (1993) in the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) with respect to the structure, size, etc., are known.
Various magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape cartridges and magnetic (or magneto-optical) disk cartridges are known as external storage means for computers or the like. In particular, recording medium cartridges used as recording mediums for computer memory backup, for example, include those of a one-reel type in which a magnetic tape is wound around a single reel rotatably accommodated in a cartridge case, those of a type having a single magnetic disk (or magneto-optical disc) rotatably accommodated in a cartridge case, and those of a type accommodating a pair of winding hubs around which a magnetic tape is wound (including, for example, those of a type having an opening specified in accordance with the above-mentioned JISX6141, etc., with respect to the structure, size, etc.). Such magnetic tape cartridges and other recording medium cartridges are used for, for example, saving computer data or the like and for recording important information.
Various sorts of information are recorded on recording medium cartridges such as magnetic tape cartridge. To identify the contents of recorded information and the kind of a magnetic tape or the like from a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disc or an optical disc (hereinafter typified by a magnetic tape) without reading the information itself, an arrangement has been devised in which a noncontact-type memory called a cartridge memory (CM) and using an IC memory in the form of an IC chip capable of writing and reading information in a noncontact manner is provided separately from the magnetic tape or the like and attached to the cartridge case. Schemes to putting recording medium cartridges using such a noncontact-type memory to practical use are being advanced. Conventionally, such a cartridge memory is of an internal type to be attached to an internal portion of a cartridge case by considering increasing drive design variations and protection against attachment of extraneous matters and exertion of an impact to the cartridge memory.
This cartridge memory is intended to record information separately from information recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, has an IC section (IC memory) for storing information and performing signal processing and an antenna section for transmitting and receiving signals, and is capable of information read/write from or to the IC section in a noncontact manner without using terminals or the like for connection. As described below, the cartridge memory itself has no power source and operates to record information in the form of electrical signal on the basis of an electromagnetic induction system using a current induced by electromagnetic induction or an electrostatic system in which a signal output from a signal (data) read/write means (reader/writer) provided in an apparatus (deck) for recording and reproducing magnetic information or a signal transmitting/receiving means (antenna) used for the read/write means is utilized.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 11-317050 discloses a one-reel type magnetic tape cartridge having such a cartridge memory.
As shown in FIG. 31, this magnetic tape cartridge 200 has a cartridge memory 208 constituted by a noncontact memory having an antenna 204 for transmitting and receiving signals and an IC section 206, and the cartridge memory 208 is provided in an outer casing (cartridge case) 210. The illustrated magnetic tape cartridge 200 is ordinarily loaded in a recording and reproduction apparatus (deck) (not shown) in a direction indicated by arrow 202 in the figure.
The IC section 206 is, for example, a well-known storage device(memory device) in the form of an IC chip, e.g., and IC memory capable of inputting and outputting information (data) in the form of electrical signal, and stores information about the magnetic tape cartridge 200, information about the contents of information recorded on the magnetic tape, etc.
The antenna 204 is a coil antenna for transmitting and receiving data and for receiving driving power. The antenna 204, for example, converts a magnetic field produced by a read/write means provided on the deck side for read/write of a signal from or to the cartridge memory 208 to supply driving power to the cartridge memory 208, transmits a signal representing information stored in the IC section 206 to the read/write means on the deck side, receives a signal transmitted from the read/write means on the deck side, and supplies the received signal to the IC section 206.
In the illustrated example, the cartridge memory 208 has the IC section 206 and the antenna 204 combined integrally with each other and is mounted in the magnetic tape cartridge 200 close to a bottom surface 212 and a back surface 214 of the magnetic tape cartridge 200 at an angle of about 45 degrees to each of the bottom surface 212 and the back surface 214.
To mount such a cartridge memory in a recording medium cartridge such as a magnetic tape cartridge, the cartridge memory is ordinarily placed in a suitable cartridge memory accommodation space according to the internal construction of the cartridge by considering the assembly facility and productivity as needed.
Such a cartridge, however, has various metallic parts, e.g., screws for fastening the upper and lower halves to assemble the cartridge, and a spring for urging a hub brake release means (a brake spring).
As described above, a noncontact-type memory such as a cartridge memory obtains driving power and transmits and receives signals through an electromagnetic induction system, an electrostatic system or the like. Therefore, if a metallic component exists in the vicinity of the antenna of the noncontact-type memory, there is a possibility of failure to suitably supply electric power, which may result in a malfunction, or a possibility of transmitting and receiving of signals being badly influenced to cause incorrect transmitting and receiving of signals.
This problem may be solved by replacing all the metallic parts used in the cartridge with resin parts. This method, however, requires high-priced parts which may be low in mechanical and thermal strength, and entails considerable difficulty in obtaining the desired recording medium cartridge in terms of each of the quality and the manufacturing cost of the cartridge.
In the conventional art, there is a second problem that, to attach a cartridge memory to a magnetic tape cassette or a magnetic tape cartridge, the structure, size, etc., of which are specified in detail as described above, for the purpose of indicating the contents of information recorded on a magnetic tape accommodated in the cartridge, it is necessary to design an attachment structure with great care so as to avoid interference with running of the magnetic tape and not to cause a reduction in structural rigidity.
There is a third problem of the conventional art described below. There may be the recording medium cartridge for data recording, such as a magnetic tape cartridge, may be small in overall size. Because of such a restricted size and the specific structure of the recording medium cartridge, the spaces for a magnetic tape winding, a mechanism for preventing an inadvertent erasing operation and a mode detection mechanism generally occupy the entire internal space of the cartridge. Further, in recent magnetic tape cartridges, the diameter of the magnetic winding is increased for the purpose of increasing the recording capacity, and it is more difficult to incorporate a cartridge memory (memory IC) in such cartridges on the basis of the conventional incorporation method.
In the conventional art, there is a fourth problem that, in a case where a cartridge memory is mounted in a recording medium cartridge such as a magnetic tape cartridge by an arrangement system such as that in the illustrated example described above, there is a possibility of a hindrance to transmitting and receiving of data between the cartridge memory and a recording and reproduction apparatus (deck) for a reason relating to the recording medium cartridge on the mount side when the recording medium cartridge is set in the recording and reproduction apparatus.
There is a fifth problem of the conventional art described below. After a cartridge memory has been incorporated in a magnetic tape cartridge in the manner described above with respect to the illustrated example, it may be found to be defective by an operation check. In such a case, there is a need to change the cartridge memory by disassembling the external casing of the assembled magnetic tape cartridge. Therefore it is necessary to make an operation check of the cartridge memory before the cartridge memory is mounted.
Also, since cartridge memories are high-priced, they may be reused if the magnetic tape cartridge in which the cartridge memory becomes unusable for some reason. Reuse of cartridge memories requires troublesome operations of disassembling magnetic tape cartridges to take out the cartridge memories.
A sixth problem of the conventional art relates to a method for mounting a cartridge memory in a recording medium cartridge other than that described above with reference to FIG. 31. For example, a method of attaching a cartridge memory as a label to a recording medium cartridge in such a manner that the cartridge memory is set in a back label on the recording medium cartridge. More specifically, for example, a method for attachment of a cartridge memory to a video tape cassette is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-177776.
In the art disclosed in this publication, a cartridge memory such as that described above is provided in a back label to be attached to a back surface of a video tape cassette. That is, in this back label (cartridge label), an IC chip (IC memory) constituting an IC section of the cartridge memory is placed on a cushion layer and a protective sheet is provided over the IC chip, thus realizing a cartridge memory attachment method facilitating handling of the cartridge memory.
The cassette label in the above-described conventional art entails a drawback in that, when a user writes on the cassette label information on the contents of a recording in the video tape cassette, the user may damage the IC chip (IC memory) in the cartridge memory in the cartridge label by, for example, applying a high pressure to the point of a ball-point pen.
The art disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-177776 includes a method for avoiding damage to the IC chip in such a situation by providing, on a region (IC section) in which the IC chip (IC memory: an integrated circuit including a memory section and a signal processing section) in the cartridge memory accommodated in the cartridge label is placed, a logo description area where a predetermined set of letters or figure is printed in advance to inhibit writing of letters, a figure, etc., on this region substantially.
The sixth problem of the conventional art resides in that, although the cartridge label in the art disclosed in the above-described publication was designed by considering protection of the IC chip in the cartridge memory, it is, in fact, also important to consider prevention of damage (causing disconnection or the like) to the antenna conductor (coil) in the antenna section, and the above-described kind of cartridge label has not been designed by considering protection of the antenna section for preventing such damage.